Giddiness, Vomiting, Ringing In Ear, Teeth Clenching, Taken Cortimax

Posted on Tue, 22 May 2012

Question: Hi,
My Daughter is 7 years 9 months old, she is a active child pursuing Swimming & Gymnastics.
All of sudden on Wednesday last at around 9 pm after a session of 4 hours gymnastics training, she complained of giddiness and vomited, and said that she cannot hear properly in her right ear & has some ringing noise in her ear, there after since she was tired she went to sleep.
Next day morning, she woke up fresh, but complained that she cannot hear thru her right ear, along with some ringing in the ear.
We have taken her to ENT, he has confirmed 70% loss of hearing capacity in her right ear, upon conducting Audiometric test, later he asked to conduct brain MRI along with Angiogram (3 Telsa) , he has confirmed based on MRI report that there is no nerve damage.
He has prescribed oral syrup of Steroids Cortimax (Deflazacort Suspension), along with B-complex fortifed with Vitamin C & Zinc, along with Vitamin E capsules.
Doctors have not been able to share exact reason for the problem, and are not forth coming on the duration in which she shall get back to normalcy & have not confirmed a sure cure for the whole issue.

It is not 3 days since medication has started ( Thursday evening onwards), but there is no notable improvement in her hearing capacity, in the affected right ear.

Would like to understand, how soon she shall get cured

Additional Information:
1. She clenches her teeth frequently in sleep at night.
2. Has been having a little disturbed sleep in last 15 days, and talks in sleep.
3. Has acute & recurring problem of viral infection and sore throat, has been treated with antibiotic in last month itself.

Answered by Dr. Naveen Kumar Nanjasetty (2 hours later)

Hi

Thanks for the query

After going through this detailed history, I feel she is suffering from Sudden Sensori Neural Hearing Loss (SNHL). Except for the recent history of viral infection, there is no other positive history which can provide clues about other disease conditions.

Sudden SHNL is a condition where in there is sudden loss of hearing without any predisposing factors. The cause of which is not known and it is probably thought to be of viral in origin. MRI has been done by your doctor to rule out any intracranial tumors, and that is also normal. And, hence the only other reason to present in this manner is Sudden SNHL.

Sudden SNHL is usually a self limiting condition, wherein the hearing will become normal after a certain period of time ranging from couple of weeks to couple of months. The treatment for this condition include steroids (to reduce the inflammation around the nerve), bed rest, peripheral vasodilators (to increase the blood supply around the nerve) and vitamin B-complex (to improve the nourishment and strength of the nerve).

As your doctor has already started on these medications, you need not worry. Have patience and wait for the hearing to become normal. This is a self-limiting condition and it will take its time to become normal depending upon the body response. Pure Tone Audiometry done once in three days will help in assessing the progress of the hearing. Also, encourage your child to consume fresh fruits and vegetables as it helps in strengthening the immunity. And, avoid sports for few days.

Hope I have answered your query, if you have any more doubts you are welcome.

Regards

Note: Consult an experienced Otolaryngologist / ENT Specialist online for further follow up on ear, nose, and throat issues - Book a Call now.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar